TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) reports there have been 311,338 cases of COVID-19, including 5,029 deaths related to the coronavirus, since the pandemic began. That’s an increase of 411 cases and 13 deaths since Monday. Another update is expected Friday. 

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Kansas Opens COVID-19 Vaccinations to Those 12 and Older

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas children aged 12 and older are now able to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Governor Laura Kelly announced Wednesday the state will follow advice from federal health officials that the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective for young people. Health officials and hospitals in several counties, including Johnson, Sedgwick, Douglas and Shawnee, quickly announced they will provide the shots starting Thursday. Those under the age of 18 need parental permission to receive the shots. The Kansas Health Department reported that 39.7% of all Kansans have received at least one dose of a vaccine as of Wednesday.

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Missouri to Drop Extra Federal Pandemic Unemployment Aid; Kansas Governor Elects to Keeps It

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Governor Mike Parson says he’s cutting off all federal pandemic unemployment benefits to Missourians. Parson on Tuesday announced those federal benefits will end June 12. The Republican governor says there’s a labor shortage. He hopes cutting off extra unemployment aid will push people back to work. At least four other states are also ending the $300 federal benefit that is on top of state benefits. Those states are Arkansas, Mississippi, Montana and South Carolina. Some labor experts say the shortage can also be attributed to people reluctant to work because they fear catching the virus. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Kansas Governor Laura Kelly issued a statement saying that Kelly does not intend to end the federal unemployment benefit programs in her state early. 

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Coroner: 3 Teenagers Who Died in Lyon County Crash Drowned in River

EMPORIA, Kan. (AP) — A local coroner says three teenagers who died last weekend when their car crashed into the Cottonwood River south of Emporia drowned. Television station KSN says the Lyon County Sheriff’s office released the coroner’s report on Wednesday. The wreck was discovered around 6:30 pm Saturday after an injured 15-year-old girl was spotted walking down the road. The girl told deputies that she had been a passenger in a car that crashed. Authorities pulled a 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix from the river with three people inside. The sheriff’s office said 17-year-old Chase Luby, 13-year-old Paxton Luby and 17-year-old Shelby Phoenix all died in the accident. The injured girl was taken to a hospital.

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Third Man Sentenced in Death of 2-Year-Old St. Joseph Girl

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — A third man charged in the death of a 2-year-old St. Joseph girl has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. Te’Avion Waunya Hawkins was sentenced Wednesday after pleading guilty to second-degree murder. He admitted he was driving a car when someone fired shots at another vehicle on August 9 last year. Two-year-old Raelynn Craig was killed. Two adults in the car with her were injured. Hawkins received a lower sentence because he cooperated in identifying his co-conspirators.  One co-defendant, Caimon Stillman, was sentenced to 24 years in prison and another, Marcain Kimbrough-Ballard, was sentenced to 26 years.

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Forecast: Kansas Farmers Will Harvest Bountiful Wheat Crop

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — A government report forecasts a bountiful winter wheat crop this year in Kansas. The National Agricultural Statistics Service estimated on Wednesday that the state’s wheat crop will come in at 331 million bushels, up 18% from last year’s crop. It anticipates average yields in the state of 48 bushels per acre, an increase of 3 bushels from last year. The agency also estimated 6.9 million acres will be harvested in Kansas. That is 650,000 more acres of wheat than a year ago.

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Man Pleads Guilty in Woman’s Death at Kansas City Arts Event

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A 20-year-old man has pleaded guilty in the death of a woman who was struck by a stray bullet while attending a Kansas City arts event. Deon’te Copkney, of Kansas City, pleaded guilty last week to second-degree murder and armed criminal action for the August 2019 killing of Erin Langhofer, of Overland Park. She was hit by a bullet during a First Friday event in the city’s Crossroads District. Thousands of people were mingling in the district when gunfire erupted. Langhofer was shot in the head. Police said she had no connection to the fight that prompted the shooting.  

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Officials: House Explosion Near Holton Kills 1, Injures 1

HOLTON, Kan. (AP) — Officials in northeastern Kansas say a house explosion has left one man dead and a woman seriously injured. Television station KSNT reports the explosion happened around 6 pm Monday about 3 miles north of Holton. Jackson County Sheriff Tim Morse says firefighters and medics arriving at the scene found the home leveled and on fire. Morse says 61-year-old Billy “Lu” Griffiths died in the explosion. The woman was flown to a Kansas City hospital with serious injuries. Her name has not been released. Morse says investigators believe the home was under renovation, and officials have not ruled out a gas leak as the cause of the explosion. 

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Several Headstones Vandalized at McPherson Cemetery

MCPHERSON, Kan. (AP) — McPherson officials are investigating after seven headstones were damaged or moved at a cemetery. Cemetery officials say sometime last week vandals knocked over and broke the headstones, and one was moved to nearby train tracks. McPherson police patrol the cemetery every night but no one saw the vandals. Some of the vandalized monuments date back to the 1800s. The damages range from about $200 to $500. The McPherson Public Lands Department has replaced four of the stones but it could take weeks before the other three are repaired.

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Officials: Big Cat Captured on Wichita Door Camera is a Mountain Lion

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wildlife officials say a Wichita doorbell camera captured video of a mountain lion trotting along a residential back alley earlier this week. Kansas Department of Wildlife Research Biologist Matt Peek says it’s the first confirmed cougar sighting in Wichita. The video was captured early Monday morning on Cris Boyle’s doorbell camera, showing the large cat padding along the alleyway in the Riverside neighborhood. The wildcat can even be heard growling as it passes by Boyle’s house. Peek says wildlife officials have notified Wichita police of the sighting so that if someone else reports seeing a mountain lion on their property, police know to take it seriously.

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Northwest Missouri Man Charged with Murder of Infant Son

GOWER, Mo. (AP) — A northwest Missouri man is charged with second-degree murder in the death of his 5-month-old son. Dillon Livingston, of Gower, also faces counts of child abuse or neglect of a child in the February death of his son. Livingston is scheduled for a motion hearing in Clinton County on Friday. A probable cause statement alleges first responders were called to Livingston’s home on a report about an unresponsive child on February 12. Court documents say Livingston initially told investigators the child rolled out of a recliner but he later said he handled the baby too forcefully when he became fussy. Livingston has pleaded not guilty and is being held on without bond. Gower is a small town located midway between Kansas City and St. Joseph, Missouri.

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Leader of New Group, Another Democrat to Leave Kansas House

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Two Kansas City-area Democrats plan to resign later this year from the Kansas House, one of them announcing his decision less than a week after helping launch a liberal nonprofit group. State Representative Brett Parker, of Overland Park, said he will spend more time with his family, explore “new career opportunities” and look for new ways to help Democrats. He helped last week to start Prairie Roots as a group aiming to energize low-turnout voters and promote liberal candidates. Parker sent an email to his colleagues days after freshman Representative Stephanie Day posted on Facebook that she plans to move into a new home outside her Overland Park district. 

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Missouri Lawmakers Approve Hike in Gasoline Tax

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Republican lawmakers in Missouri have passed a bill to raise the gas tax for the first time in decades. The GOP-led House on Tuesday voted 104-52 to gradually raise Missouri’s 17-cent gas tax to pay for road and bridge maintenance. If signed by Republican Governor Mike Parson, the measure would raise the tax by 2.5 cents a year until it hits 29.5 cents per gallon in 2025. Drivers could get a refund if they save their gas receipts. Some GOP lawmakers argued the tax hike will impact poor families the most.

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Missouri Lawmakers Pass Statewide Prescription Drug Database

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri is closer than ever to joining every other state in having a statewide prescription drug database to flag possible opioid misuse. The House on Tuesday voted 91-64 to send Governor Mike Parson legislation that would create such a program. Parson has said he supports prescription monitoring programs. The proposal has for years failed to pass the Legislature over some Republicans’ concerns about patient privacy. Doctors use such databases to see if their patients have been getting addictive opioid prescriptions from other physicians.

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Judge Dismisses NRA Bankruptcy Case in Blow to Gun Rights Group

DALLAS (AP) — A federal judge has dismissed the National Rifle Association’s bankruptcy case. Judge Harlin Hale announced his decision Tuesday in the case over whether the powerful gun-rights group should be allowed to incorporate in Texas instead of New York. Lawyers for New York Attorney General Letitia James argued the bankruptcy filing was an effort by NRA leaders to avoid accountability for using the group’s coffers as their piggybank. The ruling leaves the NRA to face a New York state lawsuit that accuses it of financial abuses and aims to put it out of business. The NRA’s embattled CEO, Wayne LaPierre, pledged in a statement to continue to fight for gun rights in New York.

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New KU Football Coach’s Staff to Be a Mix of Jayhawks, Buffalo Assistants

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — University of Kansas head football coach Lance Leipold is keeping on his staff longtime assistant coach Emmett Jones, who had served as the Jayhawks’ interim coach when the program was missing both a football coach and athletic director. Leipold, who was hired away from Buffalo two weeks ago, announced the majority of his staff on Wednesday. Offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki and defensive coordinator Brian Borland followed Leipold from Division III power Wisconsin-Whitewater to the Division I level, where together they helped to turn around the Bulls program.

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